Franklin Resources Inc. Has $3.15 Million Stock Position in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 89.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,677 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 45,086 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Lincoln National worth $3,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD National Bancorp IN grew its stake in Lincoln National by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 8,415 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $265,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management increased its stake in Lincoln National by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 6,808 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Lincoln National by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,502 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in Lincoln National by 106.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 835 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 45,854 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,435,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the period. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of Lincoln National stock traded up $0.38 during trading on Thursday, hitting $32.12. 776,757 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,595,650. Lincoln National Co. has a twelve month low of $25.09 and a twelve month high of $36.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.77. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $33.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.19.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.61 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.51%. The company's revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. Analysts forecast that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.60%. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio is presently 128.57%.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 2,863 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total value of $103,068.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 99,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,587,184. The trade was a 2.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lincoln National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays upped their target price on Lincoln National from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lincoln National from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.25.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates in four segments: Life Insurance, Annuities, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services. The Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, universal life insurance (UL), indexed universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance (VUL), linked-benefit UL and VUL products, and critical illness and long-term care riders.